Massage therapy often brings to mind a luxurious experience, the ultimate way to relax. While it is certainly relaxing, it can also be effective at treating pain. Massage therapy has been shown to relieve back pain, including chronic back pain.
Read the following guide to learn more about massage therapy and how it can be used to treat pain.
Can Massage Therapy Treat Pain?
Can massage therapy be used to treat pain? The answer is yes! Massage therapy treats pain by relaxing painful muscles, and relaxing the tendons and joints. Massage therapy also relieves stress and anxiety, which can help relieve pain, as well.
Massage therapy helps increase blood flow, helps loosen up muscles, and helps you have a wider range of mobility. Massage therapy also stimulates the release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. This leads to a feeling of calmness, relaxation, and a decrease in pain and discomfort. It can be used to treat chronic pain, as well.
Massage Therapy for Chronic Pain?
Massage therapy can be used effectively to treat chronic pain. It works by decreasing the symptoms of pain: decreasing tension, and improving movement. It is a great way to help your body recover from an injury.
When you receive massage therapy, it can interrupt the pain signals being sent to your brain. As a result, you feel less pain. Studies have shown that massage therapy helps treat chronic pain, including lower back pain.
What Kind of Massage is Best for Pain?
There are several kinds of massage that can be beneficial for pain relief. The following section covers some of the kinds of massage that are used to treat pain.
- Swedish Massage. Swedish massage is the most common type of massage. It uses techniques like percussion, kneading, tapping, rolling, and vibration to relieve tension, reduce stress, lower anxiety, and help with depression. It has also been shown to help reduce lower back pain, as well as help with joint pain and stiffness.
- Deep Tissue Massage. This type of massage is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal issues. Deep tissue massage therapy uses deep, slow strokes to target the inner muscles and connective tissues. Constant pressure is applied to these areas to help relieve pain.
- Trigger Point. If you have painful spots in your muscles, called knots, you may benefit from trigger point massage therapy. This kind of massage applies pressure to the knots to help reduce the pain in them. The knots in the muscles are softened and released, resulting in less pain and tension.
- Myofascial. Myofascial massage therapy focuses on relieving pain in the myofascial tissues. Pressure is used to relieve pain in areas around the muscles and bones. You will feel less pain, less tension, and an increase in range of motion.
Who Will Benefit from Massage Therapy?
Who benefits most from massage therapy? If you have an injury, are recovering from surgery, are overweight, have depression or anxiety, work in a high-risk workplace or regularly participate in strenuous activities, then you will benefit from massage therapy.
Massage therapy can be used to effectively treat the following conditions:
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
- Vulvodynia
- Endometriosis
- Interstitial cystitis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic pain
To learn more about massage therapy, visit our blog or schedule an appointment at the Wellness Center of Plymouth today.
